THE BOARD OF CHOSEN FREEHOLDERS
OF THE COUNTY OF WARREN
Wayne Dumont, Jr., Administration Building
165 County Route 519 South
Belvidere, NJ 07823
RESOLUTION 148-08
On motion by Mr. Chamberlain, seconded by Mr. Gardner, the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Chosen Freeholders of the County of Warren at a meeting held March 12, 2008.
RESOLUTION TO OPPOSE THE DISSOLUTION OF THE NEW JERSEY DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
WHEREAS, on February 26, 2008, Governor Jon S. Corzine proposed the FY 2009 New Jersey State Budget; and
WHEREAS, as part of the Budget, Governor Corzine has proposed to eliminate the New Jersey Department of Agriculture as a cost-cutting measure; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Agriculture provides many important services to the almost $3.5 billion agricultural industry and the citizens of the state including: |
- Food safety
- Emergency food distribution to 500,000 residents (food banks, soup kitchens)
- School nutrition programs (Healthy Choices, Healthy Kids)
- School lunch programs for 145,000 children statewide
- Soil/Water conservation and environmental programs (Green Energy Initiatives for farmers, Garden State Ethanol)
- Farmland preservation (160,000 acres statewide)
- Aquaculture (seafood harvesting and distribution)
- Equine industry, including racing
- Livestock and poultry disease monitoring (mad cow, avian influenza)
- Plant pest control (e.g. gypsy moths, Asian Longhorn Beetle)
- Commodity promotion (the Jersey Fresh Program)
- Urban planning and forest protection (Smart Growth Planner’s Toolkit, programs to halt urban forest devastation by the Asian Longhorn Beetle)
- Cooperation with academic and research institutions
- Seed and fertilizer testing
- Pet food and livestock feed testing
WHEREAS, New Jersey’s diverse agriculture industry (produce, horticulture, livestock, seafood, equine) relies on the services of the Department of Agriculture to remain viable, contributing almost $3.5 billion to our state economy while also providing jobs, generating sales tax receipts and maintaining our state’s history and identity as the “Garden State”; and
WHEREAS, N.J. Agriculture provides uniquely fresh, healthy food to local communities at a reduced cost to the consumer while utilizing shorter distribution routes than national providers, thus minimizing the environmental damage caused by long distance transportation; and |
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WHEREAS, the Federal Farm Bill of 2007 was named “The Farm Nutrition and Community Investment Act: in recognition of the critical role agriculture plays in providing a better quality of life as well as feeding our population; and
WHEREAS, the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) within the Department of Agriculture administers the New Jersey Farmland Preservation Program; and
WHEREAS, New Jersey has invested close to $1.1 billion since 1982 to permanently preserve over 160,000 acres of farmland; and
WHEREAS, New Jersey voters have shown overwhelming support for the Farmland Preservation Program; and
WHEREAS, the Warren County Farmland Preservation Program includes over 150 farms and over 15,000 acres permanently preserved.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Warren County Board of Chosen Freeholders opposes the Governor’s proposal to eliminate the Department of Agriculture and urges the Governor to reconsider his proposal.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be provided to each New Jersey legislator representing Warren County, the Department of Agriculture, the SADC, the New Jersey Farm Bureau, every Board of Chosen Freeholders and every County Agriculture Development Board in the State of New Jersey.
ROLL CALL: Mr. Gardner yes, Mr. DiMaio yes, Mr. Chamberlain yes
I hereby certify the above to be a true copy of a resolution adopted by the Board of Chosen Freeholders of the County of Warren on the date above mentioned.
Steve Marvin, Clerk
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